Emily Antflick didn’t just transition careers—she transformed the way an entire school supports student safety.

After two decades in education, from high school classrooms to founding a feminist coworking space, Emily found herself at a crossroads. The work she once loved left her drained. She wanted a career that allowed her to leverage her curriculum expertise, express her creativity, and most of all—be present for her own child at the end of the day. That’s when she found IDOL Academy.

“By the time I finished caring for other people’s kids all day, I didn’t have the bandwidth left for my own,” Emily shared. “I wanted to do work that still felt meaningful—but more sustainable.”

Why IDOL Academy?

Even with a master’s in curriculum development and hands-on experience teaching across age groups, Emily knew she needed support making the leap into corporate instructional design.

She didn’t want another theory-heavy program. She wanted structure, accountability, and a portfolio rooted in real-world experience. She found all three inside IDOL Academy.

“I knew I could piece together free content, but I didn’t want to learn in a vacuum,” she said. “IDOL gave me community, mentorship, and the hands-on practice I needed to actually build something valuable.”

Her Internship: Supporting Parent Volunteers with Confidence

For her internship project, Emily partnered with Monarch Community School, an alternative public school in California with a unique model: all parents are required to volunteer.

That requirement came with a problem.

“Many parents were doing playground supervision but didn’t feel confident enforcing safety rules—especially when it came to using the school’s positive discipline approach.”

With limited training available and only a single live session at the beginning of the year, many volunteers were left guessing. There was no consistent system. No digital reference. And no clarity on how to handle emergency situations like lockdowns.

So Emily built one.

Her Solution: A Comprehensive, Values-Aligned Volunteer Training Program

Emily developed a blended learning experience to equip parent volunteers with:

• An engaging eLearning module that introduces safety procedures, expectations, and positive discipline practices

• A library of explainer videos tailored to real-world scenarios like exclusionary play or non-consensual touch

• Printable job aids designed with kid-friendly language—so useful they’re now being turned into posters for the school

• ILT (Instructor-Led Training) materials complete with facilitator and participant guides for in-person sessions

And yes—she even included a post-training survey to measure impact and close the loop on learning outcomes.

“The principal was thrilled. She even said some of the videos were so accessible, she plans to use them with students, too.”

What Emily Learned Inside the Academy

Emily’s journey wasn’t without bumps. She candidly shared that she experienced some backend hiccups and delays early on in her cohort. But what made the biggest difference?

The mentorship.

“The 1:1 support from coaches like Gretchen, Amanda, and Chris—that’s where the real transformation happened. They helped me get unstuck in Storyline and really sharpen my design eye.”

She also gained confidence with the tech, honed her design process, and deepened her understanding of adult learning theory—filling in the gaps left by traditional education programs.

What’s Next?

Emily’s training is already live and in use at Monarch. Her project is not only solving a real problem for her client, it’s also serving as a powerful portfolio piece that proves she can design inclusive, learner-centered solutions grounded in real need.

She’s now refining her website and plans to add additional corporate-style samples to showcase range and versatility.

But if her work with Monarch is any clue, we think she’s already ahead of the curve.

Final Takeaway

Emily’s story is a powerful reminder that your past experience is never wasted. When paired with the right tools, support, and structure, it becomes the foundation of your next chapter.

You don’t need to start from scratch. You just need a path.
And like Emily, you’ll find it inside IDOL Academy.

Connect with Emily on LinkedIn
Check out Emily's online portfolio